Glass construction block and wall assembly



June 20, 1939. E. J WINSHIP 2,162Q987 GLASS CONSTRUCTION BLOCK AND WALL ASSEMBLY Filed Sept. 10, 1937 INVENTOR. [0 WARD J. M/VSl/IP ATTORNEYS.

Patented June 20, 1939 GLASS CONSTRUCTION BLOCK AND WALL ASSEMBLY Edward. J. Wlnship, Baltimore, Md., assignor to Corning Glass Works, Corning, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application September 10, 1937, Serial No. 163,320

8 Claims.

This invention relates to glass construction units and wall structures formed therefrom.

One of the inherent disadvantages of masonry walls is their tendency to absorb moisture from the atmosphere. When the wall is formed from burnt clay products both the wall units and their mortar by which they are laid up are of a more or less porous nature. low glass construction units, the building units themselves became completely moisture proof and the porous nature ofthe ordinary mortar joint became increasingly apparent.

The use of hollow glass construction units for the walls of buildings in which warm humid atmospheric conditions are maintained despite extremely cold weather conditions creates abnormal conditions for which the customary mortar joint is wholly unsatisfactory. Since these joints are the coldest spots in a wall structure of this nature, moisture from the humidified atmosphere tends to condense on'the mortar and migrate toward the cold side of the wall. As a result of such conditions, sufflcient moisture has been known to collect in mortar joints to freeze and cause spalling during sudden and extreme drops in temperature. I

The object of my invention is a wall structure particularly adapted for service under extreme conditions-of humidity and temperature.

Another object of my invention is a glass. building unit particularly adapted to form a strong, impervious and durable wall structure. My invention features the use or a moisture stop located between the faces of the wall in the joint section to prevent seepage of moisture adapted to retain mortar when the units are laid up intoa wall.

In the'accompanying drawing:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view, partly in section, showing how either the moisture stop or the insulating strip is installed in a wall;

Fig. 2 is a section through a joint of this nature, the construction units being made according to my present invention; and

Fig. 3 is a section through a joint of this nature, a difierent type of construction unit being'involved.

In practicing my invention, I position a strip of resilient material in each joint in a wall midway between the faces of the wall and coextensive with the length of the joint. Such a construction is shown in Fig. 1. In this instance the wall is composed of hollow glass blocks l0 having a groove ll about their peripheries as will be more fully described. A strip of resilient material I2 is With the advent of 1101-.

- laid along the entire length of each joint in the groove II and is flanked on either side by bodies of mortar l3. This mortar serves to bond together and support the blocks III in the usual manner and also retains the resilient strip l2 within the joint. This strip is of suificient size to be slightly compressed when the blocks are in final position and completely fills a portion ofthe joint space between adjacent blocks.

A number of materials have been found suitable for the resilient strip. It is desirable for this strip to be moisture proof so that it will form an effective barrier to prevent migration of moisture through the joint. Asphalt impregnated felt, ground cork cemented together with a waterproof resin and heavy sponge rubber have been successfully utilized. In addition to these waterproof substances, I have found that ordinary fibrous material such'as strips of bagasse wall board and the like may be utilized with advantageous results. I have found that such materials tend toabsorb such moisture as penetrates to them and prevent its further migration through the wall. While such a strip will in time become saturated, I have found that this occurs only after a considerable time and in less severe installations will not takeplace in a single season. When this is the case sufiicient drying usually takes'place during the hot summer months to restore the fibre to its original dry condition and prepare it for further absorption at a later date.

All of the substances which I have utilized and named above have a coefficient of thermal conductivity considerablylower than that of mortar. Thus, the use of such strips cuts down the heat losses through the joints of the wall and tends to maintain the surfaces of the joint more nearly at the temperature of the adjacent wall faces. In this way cold joints are eliminated on the warm face of the wall and there is little tendency for condensation to localize at this point.

Although a resilient strip such as described above aids in cutting down migration of moisture through the joints of a wall, it presents the problem of retaining the mortar in the joint. In general, cement mortar does not bond particularly well to smooth glass surfaces. Dividing the mortar in the joint into two separate strips of narrow width intensifies the problem of retaining the mortar between the blocks. I have solved this problem by so forming the edge of my building units that the mortar will'be keyed in place and prevented by its shape from moving relative to the surface of the block.

The unit shown in Fig. 2 is formed by pressing complementary glass sections I 4 whose edges are then heated to the softening temperature and pressed together forming a unitary bond l 5. Each section [4 is composed of a face plate I6 and up center of the wall. Mortar placed in such a cavity assumes a double wedge shape, such as shown in Fig. 2, which cooperates with the walls of the building units to effectually prevent movement of the mortar in either direction with respect to the blocks. Expanded metal or wire mesh may be embedded in the mortar strips to reduce their tendency to fracture at the thinnest point.

The block shown in Fig. 3 is formed of a plurality of shaped glass sections 20 joined together by a spun metal strip 2| in the manner disclosed in my copending application Ser. No. 163,321 flled September 10, 1937. As shown in this figure,

the flange portions 22 have inwardly and out-- wardly sloping outersurfaces 23 and 24, respectively, and terminate in shoulders 25 which are engaged by the metal clamping strip 2|. A piece of sheet glass 26 may be assembled between the sections if desired. In this construction thin strips of impregnated cloth 2! are assembled between contacting glass surfaces to act as a cushion therebetween. When such blocks are assembled in a wall with strips of insulation 28, the individual bodies 29 are held against movement by the mutually converging surfaces 23, 24.

The sloping edge structure which is disclosed herein has been found of particular utility in the construction of fire resistant walls. While hollow glass building units of the prior art can individually withstand high temperatures with out serious damage, it has been found that they fail much more readily when built up into walls. Such blocks commonly include low flanges about their peripheries to aid in retaining mortar in the joints. When a wall of such blocks is given a fire test, it is found that the mortar expands more rapidly than the glass and, since it abuts against the flanges, will often develop sufficient force to split the flanges from the block or cause fracture of the block along its seal. Blocks of the present invention are not subject to such 'failure since the sloping edge structure does not present a surface against which the mortar can set up sufficient compressive stresses to fracture the block. Mortar set in the pocket formed by inclined surfaces 2|, 22 is held firmly in place by the keying action of these surfaces but, on

expanding, will tend to slide along these plain surfaces. Since these surfaces have an inclination greater than 45 from the plane of the face of the unit, the thrust in this direction is insufficient to cause fracture of the block by tension in the peripheral wall. The major portion of the stress developed by expansion of the mortar in this joint is in a plane parallel to the face of the unit and, since it is in this dimension that the unit has its greatest strength, fracture will seldom take place before failure of the wall by melting of the glass. Thus it will be seen that the present invention greatly improves the flre resisting qualities of glass block walls.

Modification may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention as deflned by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. As a new article of manufacture, a hollow glass building unit comprising spaced face plates,

integral flanges upstanding about the edges of said face plates and sealed together in abutting relation to form the peripheral walls of the building unit, adjacentsections of said flanges being inclined with respect to each other and with respect to said face plates and forming shallow depressions and protuberances extending about the periphery of the article.

2. As a new article of manufactureya hollow glass building unit comprising spaced face plates, integral flanges upstanding about the edges of said face plates and forming the peripheral walls of the building unit, adjacent sections of said flanges being inclined with respect to each other and with respect to said face plates and forming a plurality of low ribs about the unit outstanding beyond the edges of the faces thereof.

3. As a new article of manufacture, a hollow glass building unit comprising spaced face plates,

and integral upstanding flanges forming the peripheral walls of the unit, the external surfaces of said flanges being inclined to the surface of said face plates by an angle of less than but more than 45 said face plates and flanges being relatively thin.

4. The herein described wall comprising moisture impervious construction units, mortar positioned between said units to support the same and bond them into a wall, and a moisture stop positioned between said units and entirely filling a portion of the space therebetween circumferentially of each unit.

5. The herein described wall comprising moisture impervious construction units, mortar positioned between said units to support the same and bond them into a wall, and moisture stops positioned between said units and entirely filling a portion of the space therebetween, said moisture stops being coextensive in length with the joints between the said units and held in place within the wall by strips of mortar positioned between them and the faces of the wall.

6. The herein described wall comprising moisture impervious construction units, a moisture impervious resilient material occupying a portion of the joint space between said units and intermediate the faces of the wall and coextensive with the length of said joint space, and mortar filling' out the remainder of said joint space to support the units and bond them into a unitary structure.

7. The herein described wall comprising hollow ceramic construction units, strips of insulat ingmaterial fllling a portion of the space between said units throughout the entire length thereof and mortar filling out the remainder of said space.

8. The herein described wall comprising hollow vitreous construction units, bodies of mortar in the joints between said units having a higher thermal conductivity than said units, and insulating strips placed within the joint intermediate the faces of the wall and coextensive therewith whereby the conductivity of the joint is rendered no greater than that of the adjacent construction unit.

EDWARD J. WINSHIP. 

